Family, Forever
by Cam Flynn
Summary: Summer vacation, the greatest time of year! That is, until all sorts of old enemies start to flock out of the wood-works, threatening to split up the boys' family and ruin their lives - and the the girls' lives - forever. TLtT sequel.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This chapter one is in a way a teaser, since I'm no where near done with the story. But I figured you've been waiting all winter and I don't want you to all think I've abandoned you flat-out cold, so I'mma gonna give you my chapter one. :D But since I'm not done, I didn't want to waste time going back and fixing it up myself, so I enlisted the lovely beta-help of Chipmunklover, so here's a special shout-out to you my friend! Thanks so much for helping me out, it really does mean a lot to me.

Oh, there's one ultimately unique thing about this story. I think I'm going to have a 'photo op' for every chapter, if anyone would so desire to draw a pretty picture and upload it. I may even give you guys some props when I'm done, just because I adore seeing how other people interperet my works so much. So keep your eyes peeled. This chapter's photo op is the cutesy little scene at the end with Alvin, Koda, Jeanette, and their popcorn.

**And don't forget, please please please sign my petition! I'm going to send it in at the end of July, so we need as many names a possible on that list of ours to remind him how much we love the cartoon Chipmunks! And...Spread the word, mes amies.**

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Family, Forever

_Chapter 1_

Alvin couldn't keep his eyes on the chalkboard. There were two weeks left of school and the teacher was still lecturing something new. He couldn't wait to get out of Ms. Montgomery's class. Sure, she was nicer than she had been in the first half of the year, but she was just so _boring_. His attention wandered to the window, even though it was hard to see out through Simon's head. With a sigh, he gave that up and looked back over towards the clock. He perked up as he saw the second hand moving ever closer to the three o'clock mark. Twenty seconds left until the school day was over…fifteen…ten…

"Don't forget to do your homework tonight," Ms. Montgomery said. "Even if it's the last learning week of school, you have to finish it up." Brrrrring! "Don't forget!" The chipmunks hurried out, trying to keep from getting squished by the rest of their classmates. They leaned against the wall by the classroom door as students everywhere chaotically dashed for the front doors to get out. The six of them knew better than to try to plow through kids that were bigger than them. They'd wait.

"What's the hold up?" the last girl out of the classroom asked them. "It's not raining out there, is it?" They all looked at her with wonder. "I mean in the hallway. Normally people only wait by the sides like this when it's raining."

"For being smart, you sure sound dumb," Alvin told her.

"Nah. I just look at bad situations with a smile. Usually…and you'd smile too if you'd gotten the joke."

"What would it take to make you frown?" Theodore asked her.

"The white-coats suddenly appearing again or something happening to you guys." Koda grinned, happy to have her friends beside her.

"Hoo-owl!" some girls howled as they passed by. Alvin pulled the bill of his cap down to try to cover his face. Ever since they'd come out with their _When You Wish upon a Chipmunk_ CD, girls had been doing that all the time. Thanks to the Chipettes and Koda, he was now known all around as a Rover, a Cad, and a Tramp. He was surprised Brittany wasn't getting any trouble from the song, especially since she had said she loved him in it. But that was just the lyrics of the classic Lady and the Tramp song. The girls all laughed as they started singing from the middle of the song just to tease him and try to get him to loosen up.

"He's a tramp (he's a tramp),

He's a scoundrel (uh-huh).

He's a rounder (yes he is),

He's a cad (bad boy).

He's a tramp (ooo), but I love him (ooo),

Yes even I have got it pretty bad."

"Enough!" Alvin finally barked at them.

"Relax," Simon told his brother. "You should be happy for all the publicity it got us."

"I'm happy for every bit of publicity we've gotten _except_ for that song. I'm sick of hearing girls howl when they see me!"

"We thought you'd enjoy it," Brittany teased.

"Not at all! Brittany, I'm not that weird. Guys howl at girls, not the other way around." He smiled at Brittany's annoyed look as he turned to check the hallway. "Let's get going before any more people show up…man I hate being so small."

"No you don't," Simon scolded. "You just hate it when you have to wait to make sure you don't get hurt."

"Yeah," Theodore agreed. "Everyone thinks we're so cute _because_ we're smaller than the average kid."

"Yet just imagine how small we'll still be when we're grown up," Alvin hissed. "We'll be dwarves or midgets or whatever…"

"Nah," Simon laughed. "We won't be short enough to qualify for that. Besides, dwarfism is a disease, not something you can be classified as because of your species." They all giggled at that. In the past few months, they'd all become incurably proud to be chipmunks (and Koda to be a bat).

"Koda!" Brittany called, trying to get the topic away from their size. It was such an obnoxious topic and she was sick of hearing about it. Alvin always complained about his size. "Guess what I brought today…"

"No! No more skating!" Koda complained.

"But you're so good at it…"

"If by good, you mean almost falling every time! If it wasn't for my wings I'd be all scratched up from head to toe."

"Not your toes. The skates would be protecting them."

"Oh, thanks for your encouragement."

"Well, you were even worse at riding a bike…" Koda rolled her eyes as the chipmunks went to the bike rack to grab their bikes. It was very true that Koda couldn't ride a bike to save her life. But she was getting better and better at skating, both in-line and regular roller skating. The in-line was for speed so she could keep up with everyone on their bikes without flying (which sometimes she found that she just really didn't feel like doing), and the roller skating rink had become a wonderful hangout for the kids. There was pizza, pop, ice cream, and music and games all around the rink. Who could ask for more? Judging by Brittany bringing Koda's skates, that was where they were headed this afternoon.

"Miss Miller is going to pick us up at six," Jeanette recalled. "Is Dave going to be there today?"

"He'll be there at four," Simon replied. "And Nate?" They all looked at Koda.

"I'll call him when we get to the rink." She pulled her shoes and socks off and stuck them in her backpack, leaping up and using her toes to cling to the back of Alvin's bike.

"It's my turn today?" he gripped.

"My, you are certainly in a cheery mood today. Alvin, I only weigh twenty-one pounds." While Alvin, Simon, and Brittany averaged around forty-two, Jeanette at thirty-nine, and Theodore and Eleanor at fifty-eight, Koda had hollow bones, making her twenty pounds lighter than she should have been.

"Yeah, yeah." Everyone laughed as they took off to the rink. Some other school kids followed along, but for the most part skating had fallen by the way-side as a popular after-school activity. Some kids tried it because they heard that the Chipmunks and Chipettes loved it, but most just ignored it. Of course that didn't bother anyone all that much. They loved skating, even Jeanette who usually leaned on one of her sisters or Simon for support. She was finding that she was becoming less clumsy on skates than she used to be, even if she still tripped over her own two feet from time to time.

They went from the school bike rack to the skating rink bike rack within ten minutes, chaining their bikes up and hurrying inside. They couldn't wait to pull their skates on, but they had to as Koda called up Nate to see if he was off work this sunny spring afternoon. They only had just over two hours to skate as it was, and it made them antsy to have to wait. But everyone admitted that it was hilarious watching Dave, Nate, and Tammy skate. They weren't awful, but they weren't all that great either.

"Hold your horses missy," Jeanette said as she latched onto Koda's arm. The girls were hurrying to put their skates on.

"What now?" Koda whined.

"You're in a skirt. And you and skirts don't mix all that well." Koda laughed as Jeanette hauled her off to the bathroom, tossing a pair of tights that Brittany had gotten for Koda at the bat-girl. She was in a black skirt and an orange tube top (because her wings prevented her from wearing anything other than tube tops, halter tops, and ponchos, so school dress code barely applied to her). As everyone had learned, Koda had very little feminine decency when it came to skirts. Of course, Koda had rarely ever worn a dress or skirt before she met the Chipettes so no one could really blame her.

"You're wearing a skirt too, and you fall down way more than I do.."

"First off, you never fall because you have wings and can just start flying when you feel like you're falling. Secondly, I've fallen down so many times I know how to fall with grace." Koda cracked up and a smile spilled across Jeanette's face.

"You fall with grace? Could'a fooled me!"

"Hey! Do you even realize how clumsy you'd be without your wings?"

"I know! But I do have my wings, and I'd never change a thing about them." Koda stretched her arms out, flexing her wings up. Jeanette backed away, giving the wings more than enough room. Koda had to sit in the back row of class because of her ears in her wings, but that didn't stop her from being just as much of a nerd as Simon. While Jeanette usually found herself too shy to constantly raise her hand in class, Koda and Simon were always the first two to shoot their hands in the air. Of course Koda's wings always shot up with her hand. Everyone had gotten used to it with time, but Jeanette couldn't help but giggle, wondering how the next year's teacher would take it.

"Hurry up! I don't want to miss a minute of them all trying to do the limbo." The best Jeanette could do was skate under it once before dropping out. Everyone else was getting better and better. Alvin had come very close to winning once, and Brittany had actually won one. Koda dived into a stall, not wanting to miss a minute of her afternoon with Nate and Tammy. All the chipmunks swore that Koda was practically Nate's daughter and Tammy's niece, but whenever that subject came up Koda always clammed up or changed the subject. It was almost like it was the most taboo subject ever created.

"Ah, found you," Tammy called through the door, giving Jeanette a quick, friendly hug as Koda ran out and leaped up. Tammy had to let go of Jeanette in a rush to catch her little friend. "School definitely hasn't dampened your spirit."

"Are you kidding?" Koda yelped. "I love school!" Jeanette followed the doctor back to the skating rink, finding herself being dragged to the bench by Eleanor and her skates being put on her feet by Brittany. It was obvious that the other two Chipette's were tired of waiting for her and Koda. As soon as Tammy put Koda down, the boys latched onto her and put her skates on too. Nate was already out in the rink, skating around and enjoying himself.

"Come on!' Brittany cheered, holding onto her sister's hand as she pulled Jeanette to the rink. It took Jeanette a few moments to steady herself, but at least she didn't feel like she was going to fall. Within seconds, the boys were skating around the girls, showing off like they normally did. Koda attempted a twirl that would have ended badly had she not had her wings to keep her from falling to the ground and Brittany then went and spun around Alvin until the Chipmunk grew very dizzy.

"You didn't take long to get here," Koda giggled as Nate skated by them.

"Of course not," he assured her. "I was already almost here by the time you called anyway. I knew you all were going to be here today…but Koda, I was wondering, about your b…" The bat-girl leaped up, clapping her hand over his mouth.

"Say the 'B' word and I'll hurt you, Doctor Dell." Nate pried her away from his face, laughing as he did so.

"Alright, you win. So when's Dave gonna show up?"

"Not for an hour," Alvin said. All the kids were gathered around Nate, making Koda feel sort of awkward. No doubt they had heard her 'B word' comment.

"Ah. Well, I can't wait to show him that at the very least I'm still as good at skating as I was in high school."

"Yeah right!" Koda yelped.

"I am!"

"You must've been pretty awful in high school then."

"Is that so?" Nate set her down, skating backwards as he warmed himself up. "Just you wait until a good song comes on. I'll show you doubters." The kids all got a good laugh out of that before Alvin latched onto Brittany, daring her to skate-dance with him. The two of them were hands down the best of the bunch, with Eleanor then Simon and then Koda, Theodore, and Jeanette, ranked according to how well they managed their tricks, if they managed any at all. Theodore could skate backwards, but that was about it. Jeanette was able to manage to stay on her feet, but she was still working on even the most basic tricks. Simon was helping her, but no one minded that she was the clumsiest. As long as they all had fun, that was what mattered.

Jeanette waved her arms around helplessly as she lost her balance, letting out a little yelp of surprise as she felt Koda latch on to her right arm and Simon wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Thanks," she told them as they held tight until she regained her balance.

"No problem," Koda laughed, letting go and skating around the two in a circle. "You guys are picture perfect."

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Simon added.

"I mean," Koda said, pausing for effect. "If I had a camera, I'd use you two as my models. Alvin and Brittany look good on a video camera, but you two look amazing in still shots." Simon and Jeanette glanced at each other, pushing apart as they wondered why Koda was thinking about taking pictures of them. As soon as they were a foot apart, Koda skated between them and went and almost tackled Alvin as he messed up one of his tricks. Sure, he was the best, but that didn't mean he wasn't still learning.

"Careful!" Alvin demanded as he fell to the ground after trying to regain his balance from the messed up trick and then dodging Koda.

"I didn't think you'd mess up that trick," Koda hissed as she flapped her arms about six feet above the rink. Anyone that wasn't a regular at the rink slowed down and stared at the flying girl, watching as she landed gracefully and offered Alvin her hand to help him up. "It's the one you've been practicing a lot lately, isn't it?"

"It's a hard trick!"

"Not really," Brittany taunted as she skated around them, then proceeded to do the trick.

"You're a girl. You're more flexible than I am."

"Could have fooled me with those splits you can do." They glared at each other for a few moments, not even realizing that everyone else had gone over to greet Dave.

"What's with them this time?" he whispered to Simon.

"Alvin messed up a trick, told Brittany that she was a girl and therefore naturally more flexible than he was, and then she reminded him that he can do the splits just as good as any girl," Simon summarized.

"Do they know that I'm here now?"

"Probably not." Koda laughed as she and Jeanette sat down on the bench.

"You'd never know how much she adores him the way she acts out in public," Koda giggled.

"Oh, we do," Theodore said. "We know they're the best of friends. That's why they fight so much…at least, isn't that how their sort of friendship works…?" He looked over at Simon, his eyes full of confusion.

"Something like that," Simon laughed.

"Hey, Koda," Nate called.

"Hm?" she replied.

"Why don't you go send those two over this way and then show us what you can do, trick-wise?"

"Yeah right. You know I can hear every word you say, even if you whisper."

"Who said I was going to say anything?"

"Cell phone?"

"In the car."

"Paper and pencil?"

"Koda!" Again with the secrecy…Koda was hiding something. She was good at keeping secrets, something they'd learned back when Nate had announced that Koda couldn't read or write. Jeanette had managed to teach the bat-girl in a two week crash course. Everyone was sure that this secret was something just as silly, but they didn't bother pressing the matter. They'd find out eventually, one way or another.

"Never mind," Dave said, pointing to Alvin and Brittany who were finally heading their way.

"Good afternoon," Alvin said with his biggest grin, skating right off the rink and hurrying over to request a pair of rental skates for Dave. Everyone stared as Alvin offered Dave his skates.

"What's up?"

"You have to win the skate-off with Nate."

"Skate…off?" Nate cracked up. "What'd you say?"

"Just a friendly challenge," Nate said through laughs. "But I highly doubt you could keep up with me…" There was definitely a dare in Nate's eyes. The kids lined up on the edge of the rink, all cheering for Dave to take on Nate. But Dave kept shaking his head, trying to convince them all that he couldn't skate anywhere near as well as Nate. For one thing, Nate was over five years younger than he was. For another, he hadn't skated much ever before.

"Why don't you guys show us what you can do?" Tammy finally said, giving Alvin and Brittany a push towards the rink. Soon enough, all the rest followed and while Alvin and Brittany showed off their latest partner tricks, everyone else practiced their newest solo tricks. That seemed to happen quite often, Nate daring Dave to skate and then Tammy sending the kids to show off their tricks. No one minded, they just got to wondering why Dave _really_ didn't want to do anything but skate around the rink and watch them. All the boys were eager to skate with their dad.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Bye girls," Nate and Tammy said with a wave as the girls latched onto each other for the duration of Miss Miller's driving.

"You ok?" Simon asked as Alvin held an ice pack to his shoulder. During one of his tricks with Brittany, she had made a mistake that had caused him to slam into the ground. That had set him out for the rest of the afternoon because his shoulder was throbbing. Nate had assured him that it was nothing to worry about. It'd be sore for a few days at most, but nothing serious. Alvin would beg to differ with the way it hurt now, but he knew that things could be seem worse than they were. Then again, he also knew that things could be worse than they seemed. Both of those examples had been proven to him in one day.

"I'll be fine," he replied, holding his head high. When he'd fallen off the pillar back before their concert last October, he was sure he'd broken his leg because it hurt so badly. It had turned out to be merely a light sprain that had been brushed aside when his slightly sore throat had turned into an issue that required surgery.

"Nate?" Theodore asked, glancing around and wondering why nobody had asked what he was about to ask yet.

"What's up?" the doctor replied.

"Koda was really freaking out about you telling us something. She seemed almost as irritated as when you told us that she couldn't read."

"Ah, that. Well…it's just that she doesn't see any reason to celebrate this Friday, but I beg to differ. After all, everyone should celebrate their birthdays…"

"Birthday!" The boys all yelped in surprise. Even Dave seemed a little shocked.

"Ah, yes. She's younger than you and the girls by well over a month. She'll be ten on Friday and I only think it suiting that she celebrates, now that she has something to celebrate. I mean, the whole fact that she just survived before was celebration in itself, but she's never really had a birthday party."

"Why did she want to cover it up?" Simon inquired.

"Who knows. But seeing as she does…ahem. I really shouldn't get involved. I shouldn't have even mentioned it." He had a twinkle in his eye that seemed to say 'ask me no questions, I'll tell no lies.' He didn't want to have to lie to Koda about anything on Friday, so the boys realized it was up to them to plan her party.

"It's gotta be an absolute surprise," Alvin decided. "At your house, no less. She adores you, so…"

"She was supposed to come over Friday afternoon anyway…Perhaps this could work out well. Plan my friends, plan." Tammy had remained ominously silent for the whole conversation, and finally Dave turned his attention to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Well…" she started, glancing up but then looking back down. "I leave Sunday for my internship in Colorado." Another surprise that left the boys' mouths hanging open. She'd mentioned that she'd be leaving in the spring once before, but it was hard to believe that she was actually leaving. After Koda had moved in with the Chipettes, Nate and Tammy had practically become family. Now Tammy was leaving? They glanced over at Dave, knowing full well that he'd managed to develop a crush on a girl that was ten years younger than him. That didn't bother them, they adored Tammy. But now she was leaving…

"For how long?"

"A few years…up to five. I hope to develop more as a doctor there so I can finally switch my job from nurse to pediatrician. I mean, I qualify just fine as an ER nurse, but I want to bump it up…so that's why I'm going on to study."

"But why Colorado?" Alvin interrupted. "There's plenty of places right here in LA."

"I want to try a small town setting again…I haven't lived in a small town since Nate and I were kids. We've always lived next door to each other…when our dads got jobs in California, that's where we went. But I remember that small town…back in Colorado."

"We got in touch with some old friends and she's going to be staying with them," Nate concluded. "We have to get home and work on packing. Geeze, in the five…or is it six now? Anyway, in the time that my cousin has been living with me, do you know how much stuff she's collected? Holy! She is most definitely the girliest girl I've ever met."

"Not worse than Brittany," Alvin assured him. "We went on a cruise once and she packed enough stuff to fill their entire room! And the rooms were in the storage area!"

"It wasn't that bad," Simon hissed.

"Oh yeah? We were their entertainment and they treated us like we weren't important at all. Anyway, she had a _huge_ stack of suitcases…She even lugged a whole trunk around with her on the ship. It was crazy! And that wasn't even all her stuff." Nate laughed, pulling his cousin towards the car.

"See you guys soon!" They called.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I still don't see why you all are tagging along," Koda hissed, her arms crossed over her usual orange top as she pouted. "I told you it's just an afternoon for me and Nate and Tammy and Sophie and Jeremy to hang out."

"We like Nate and Tammy and Sophie and Jeremy," Alvin replied, keeping his head high. The boys had managed to pull the Chipettes far enough away from Koda to explain the surprise party, and now everything was all set up at Nate's house. It was six o'clock on the dot Friday evening and Koda was going to have the best birthday party that the Chipmunks and Chipettes could provide.

"Does Dave?" They all looked at her with confusion. "His car." She pointed and Alvin slapped his forehead.

"He's probably just talking about something or other…you know those two have become the best of friends."

"I suppose…"

"Stop being so suspicious," Jeanette teased, linking her arm with her friend's. She'd learned how to handle linking her arm around Koda's wings, and she was the only one that was completely comfortable with it. Everyone else was still a little creeped out. They adored Koda and enjoyed flying every once in a while, but it was just a creepy feeling when Koda reached out with part of her wing to touch them instead of touching them with her hand.

There were basically six extra limbs coming off of her arms because of the wings. There were perfectly built joints and the bones made it almost set up as though they were arms or something. Well, the two that came out of her wrists. The other two were less flexible, but that was just the way Koda's anatomy was set up.

Everyone ran ahead as Jeanette led Koda up the walkway. Nate's house was mostly blue with white painted on the banister for the stairs. The porch was mostly white too, and it even had a white swing on it. The only thing that wasn't blue or white about the outside of the house was the purple flowers that Tammy had been tending to for the last few months, since the temperatures had risen again.

Everyone plowed into the house, the boys randomly deciding to make Simon and Jeanette stay outside to keep Koda company until they were ready to let her in. "What are they doing?" Koda hissed at the two chipmunks.

"Eh…" Simon started, looking over to Jeanette for help.

"Well?" No one liked it when Koda got frustrated. The girl didn't throw temper-tantrums. No…she usually threw books instead. Well, not usually. The books were just when she got really mad. But when she was frustrated she knew just how to make everyone else miserable. She was more of a force than Brittany when she was ticked.

"It's so hot out here," Jeanette fake-whined, going over and collapsing on the swing. "Koda…could you push the swing and make a breeze for me?" Koda grumbled, but she went around and hopped up on the railing behind the swing, pushing the swing with her feet.

"I wouldn't have to do this if we were inside."

"They're probably chowing down on cookies or something," Simon said as he came over and hopped up beside Koda. Since Jeanette was laying down on the swing, giving Koda something to take her frustration out on. Something as simple as the rhythm of pushing a swing was one of the many ways they calmed her down. If she wasn't pushing the swing, she was sitting in the swing being pushed. Right now, Jeanette figured it'd be best if Koda took out some of her physical frustration on pushing the swing.

"That's no reason to lock us out here…don't you normally disagree with stuff like that? I mean…you like Nate's cookies just as much as they do."

"Ok, so the cookie idea is out…Maybe they wanted to make sure something was perfect…"

"Why?" Koda stopped pushing the swing as she raised her voice with that demand. Simon almost fell over backwards. Jeanette leaped up, pulling her friend over to sit down with her.

"I think you're getting a little overheated too," Jeanette whispered. "Simon, do you mind?"

"Not at all," Simon replied, repositioning himself and doing what Koda had been doing. It was easier than using his arms, just so long as he stayed perfectly poised on the railing.

"Well…why?" Koda said, leaning back comfortably into the swings.

"Maybe they just had a feeling?" Jeanette tried. "After all, we've been around you for quite some time. Some of your 'follow-your-gut' style has to have rubbed off on us by now."

"I follow my gut because I grew up knowing that if I didn't I could die. You guys have never been in that situation."

"Not true! We faced a lot of dangers when we attempted to go around the world in a hot air balloon."

"Like?"

"Like…Like the Sheik wanted to marry Brittany, but of course Brittany didn't want to marry him. He was five, I think…But I think she was more focused on winning the race than marrying a five year old.. When we went to get the dolls, there were snakes guarding them. So we charmed the snakes because that's what our guts told us to do."

"Singing always seems to give us the luck we need," Simon called over the top of the swing. "When those tribal natives captured us, we sang Wooly Bully to try to buy some time. If we hadn't sung that, we'd probably would have been croc-chow. Singing managed to buy us just enough time for the girls to save us."

"You're lucky that we discovered the smuggling ring."

"_I_ thanked you, remember? Didn't Theodore thank you guys too?"

"Alvin did to, but he thanked Eleanor and me when you and Theodore and Brittany were asleep. His pride wouldn't let him say it to Brittany…I hope he does someday. He owes her his life, literally."

"Knowing him, he probably never will." Jeanette glanced over, wondering why Koda was suddenly so hushed. She was surprised when she saw that her bat-friend was curled up against the pillow that had been sitting on the swing, her eyes shut as she enjoyed the swaying motion of the swing. Koda's cat-like eyes made it look like she just might start purring at any second. Jeanette often wondered how Koda had ended up with a cat-like nose and cat-like eyes while everything else was clearly bat. Simon had guessed that it was just the evolution that had turned Koda into a bat-girl. After all, at some point the turned up bat-nose had to start to turn down if the evolution process was calling for a bat to turn into a human girl. The only fact that they knew for sure was that Koda was a fourth generation experiment, so who knew how much more human-like her own children would be? They'd never be able to tell without meeting Koda's parents, third-generation experiments.

"Snake charming and croc-chow," Koda whispered, slightly opening her right eye. Jeanette couldn't help but giggle. Koda looked almost like a kitten. Suddenly, the girl's ears perked up and everyone looked towards the door. Well, Jeanette and Koda at least. Simon couldn't see over the back.

"Stop!" Jeanette hissed back at him. He jumped off the railing and scrambled to stop the swing.

"We're ready now," he heard Brittany announce. He glanced around the side, seeing Brittany standing with her shoulders back looking like it was the most important thing she'd ever said in her life.

"About time." Just like that, Koda leaped up, accidentally forcing the swing back. Jeanette fell off and then Simon fell backwards as the swing whacked into him. At least he wasn't sitting on the railing anymore. "Sorry." She helped Jeanette up and then Jeanette helped Simon up.

"Well, hurry up! The ice cream's gonna melt!"

"Ice cream? Nate never buys ice cream…" Brittany ran over and grabbed Koda's hand, dragging her in ahead of Simon and Jeanette. Those two stood in the doorway preventing Koda from turning tail and running when everyone yelled the traditional 'happy birthday!' "I'm gonna hurt you!" She ran for Nate, and he caught her before she managed to sink either claws or teeth into anything.

"You know I don't think I've ever heard you say you're gonna kill anyone?" Nate laughed. "When I was little, whenever I played a prank on Tammy, she'd always scream that she was gonna kill me."

"Well, I know I'd never kill you…But I wanna hurt you!" Koda went from having a sweet face to looking like the most ferocious creature they'd ever seen. Jeanette shut the door, walking up and tentatively grabbing Koda's ankle (seeing as Koda was up in Nate's arms).

"The ice cream's going to melt melt," Jeanette reminded her. "You like ice cream, don't you?"

"Oo, I love it!" Koda could be very strange at times. Going from being ferociously angry to leaping down and putting on her happiest smile.

"What's so bad about a birthday party anyway?" Alvin asked.

"Well…eh…" Koda glanced over at Nate, and everyone saw him shrug his shoulders as if to say 'it's up to you.' "It's hard to think about it…But, every one just marks another year that…That they've existed. The white coats…another year that they've been up to their cruelty and another year that…that…" She couldn't find the right words, and they all knew there was something besides the white-coats that was bothering her.

"That?" Jeanette whispered to her friend.

"That I still haven't found my family."

"Your family?"

"I don't know if they're even still alive…my mom or my dad that is…I don't know if they're alive or if they're not or if they're in some other lab than the one I was raised in or if they managed to get away…Just another year of being an orphan." Deadly silence filled the room, until they heard Alvin take in a sharp breath.

"Well, you could also look at it this way," he said. His voice started out small at first, as if for the first time in his life he was afraid of what people would think of what he was saying. "It's another year that you've been free, and it's another year that you've had Nate…and its brand new year with a bright future for you and your homeless friends…and that someday you'll be able to do a ton more for everyone if you keep on going the way you are. You seem pretty determined to change the world for no other reason than to make it a better place." The Chipettes all hugged Koda as Nate moved over to the stereo to turn on a 80s music mix that the Chipmunks had put together. The kids couldn't help but love the 80s. That era of music seemed to suit their voices and personalities best.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Hours of music and games had passed since the party had started, and they'd all finally settled down to watch a movie at around 8:15. They were all crowded together on the floor, Koda in the exact middle with Jeanette on one side and Alvin on the other. Of course Brittany was beside Alvin with Eleanor on her other side and Simon was beside Jeanette with Theodore at his side. Nate, Dave, and Tammy were more than happy to take up the couch, a bit worn out by the hyperactive children. Three was more than enough for Dave sometimes, especially when they were all hyped up on sugar and caffeine. But seven? That was enough to wear him out.

"Pass the popcorn down," Alvin whispered for Koda.

"You sure you want it?" she giggled. "It's cold and it's probably getting stale."

"Yes, I want the popcorn." She reached as carefully as she could for the popcorn that was sitting in front of Simon. She didn't want her wing to bother Jeanette.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Jeanette whispered as she did so.

"Of course!" Koda whispered back. "We really should do this more often."

"Because we're both sets of triplets, birthday parties are only going to come around three times a year."

"Then forget the occasion! Just celebrate! I mean, every day is special. We could all be locked up in some laboratory…" She practically threw the popcorn at Alvin as she shut herself up. "But we're not. We're watching a movie. So shh!"


	2. Chapter 2

Umm...I follow up a 12-page chapter with a 5-page one? Does that even make sense? Well, actually it does, considering this chapter, in five pages, covered everything I wanted it to cover.

Here's my update: I'm on chapter seven, and I'm getting a little antsy. I want to SHARE! Even I don't wanna wait for me to write it before I find out what you think, so I'm gonna give you the chapter that dives straight into the story. From here on out is the actual deep plot of the tale, so please, ENJOY! That was the whole reason I wrote this, for you to enjoy. To laugh and gasp and cheer our little heroes on...So go on ahead! (And be sure to check out the 'photo op' at the end. I told you I was gonna try and have one for every chapter, didn't I? If you feel like drawing it, be sure to share it. I'd love to see what you guys come up with...especially since I haven't really felt like drawing ANYTHING in months...I'm in a drawing rut...But that's sort of a good thing because I'm climbing out of my writing rut in the process.)

**And don't forget, please please please sign my petition! I'm going to send it in at the end of July, so we need as many names a possible on that list of ours to remind him how much we love the cartoon Chipmunks! And...Spread the word, mes amies.**

* * *

Family, Forever

_Chapter 2_

Last day of school. Always one of the best days, at least for the children. The teachers were having a nightmare of a time keeping the kids' focus on anything but the windows. It was a typical last day. Well, almost.

During recess, the Chipmunks and Chipettes were being unusually quiet as they gathered around a map of the world, plotting where they wanted to try to talk Dave into taking them over the summer. Of course they'd use the cover of doing a tour wherever it was they wanted to go, but that didn't mean they had to be performing the whole time.

"We've been to Paris already," Brittany chirped.

"So have we," Simon added.

"That was so long ago!" Alvin countered. "And we don't have to go with you girls you know!"

"Brittany!" Jeanette and Eleanor hissed, pulling their sister back to prevent her from getting up in Alvin's face. He hated it when she was nose-to-nose with him in one of their glaring contests.

"What about you Koda?" Theodore asked. "Where do you want to go?"

"Oh, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Koda laughed. "I've been all sorts of places already so I don't really care. Although, I was rather fond of the time I spent in Ireland."

"Ireland?" Alvin scoffed. "What's in Ireland?"

"Lots!" Simon, Jeanette, and Koda replied together.

"Why don't we go to Spain or England…Yeah! I'm sure the queen remembers us! That was some concert we put on for her last time."

"I'd like to go to Paris," Theodore giggled. "Imagine all the food that's there that we didn't eat last time!"

"I already said no!" Brittany spat back at him.

"Brittany," Koda replied in a teasing voice. "You are aware that Paris is supposed to be the fashion capital of the world, right?"

"Yeah. So?" Everyone's eyes instantly shifted to her. "Alright! I don't want to go because I know we can't afford all those wonderful, gorgeous, perfect…" She trailed off, her eyes glittering as she thought of the clothing she would be missing out on.

"She doesn't want to tempt herself," Eleanor giggled. "Why are we only looking at Europe? I think we should visit Australia."

"Careful," Jeanette warned. "We'd have to plan _that_ trip around you-know-who's orphanage…preferably clear on the other side of Australia."

"Why not New Zealand then?" Simon offered.

"What's in New Zealand?" Brittany scoffed. The look in the others' eyes was enough to tame even her.

"We have to pick something, quick," Alvin said. "If we don't, we won't have a chance at going there. And we don't wanna get stuck _here_ this summer."

"Here isn't so bad," Koda told him as she laid her head down on her hands. She would have loved to cross her arms on the desk and lay her head down like that, but her wings got in the way. School was proving to be quiet a hassle when it came to her unique body parts.

"It's so _boring_."

"Oh, yes. Everything that happened last winter totally counts as _boring_." Alvin scrunched back in his seat a little, not having an instant come-back for her words.

"Why aren't you guys outside enjoying the afternoon?" a young girl's voice called to them.

"We're planning our summer tour!" Theodore replied to her as Eleanor motioned for her to join them. She tugged on the boy beside her and quickly hurried to join the group.

"A summer tour," Cal scoffed.

"If you're good, maybe we'll invite you to come see us in concert sometime," Alvin replied. He was still relatively wary of Cal, for the sake of his brothers, but he knew the over-grown ex-bully wouldn't be bullying anyone anytime soon.

"Where?" Amy asked excitedly.

"That all depends on how well we plan our stops," Simon told her. "Dave told us we could pick four locations to visit for sure and he'll work in the others around those."

"And of course we're going too!" Brittany chirped. "It's a summer with the Chipmunks, Chipettes, and their blossoming star: Koda!"

"That title needs some serious work," Koda laughed. But her laughter abruptly stopped as her ears caught something she didn't want to hear.

"What's wrong?" Jeanette asked.

"The principal and Ms. Montgomery…" Before she could continue, the two came through the door with exceedingly worried looks on their faces. Koda glanced over at the boys, her eyes filled to the brim with sadness, and they knew. Something had happened to Dave.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I know the accommodations are tight," Miss Miller said sweetly as she helped the boys get settled in the guest bedroom, "but they'll have to do. The girls are four to a room right now, don't forget." She patted Alvin on the head as he stood motionless at her side. At least Simon and Theodore were walking around. True, they moved like zombies, but at least they were moving.

Dave had taken that day off work to relax and get a few chores done outside the house. Right after the boys had left for school he'd decided to get those chores done. Mornings were cooler than afternoons after all. So he'd pulled the ladder out of the garage and set about cleaning out their junk-filled gutters. He should have done that months earlier, but he just hadn't had the time until that day.

No one had seen what happened. He was fortunate Nate had been driving by on his way back to the hospital from grabbing lunch at home. Still, Dave must have been laying there in the bushes for hours by then. The ladder luckily hadn't landed on him, but it didn't look promising that he'd be waking up anytime soon.

As soon as the boys had been told the horrific news, Brittany had marched straight out to the principal and asked to call Miss Miller (since Koda had also relayed the news to the girls, seeing as she could easily hear the principal with her sensitive ears). The boys _had_ to stay somewhere, and the trek to their mother's home was out of the question with Dave in his condition. They needed to be near enough to be there as soon as possible once he had woken up.

The boys were naturally excused because of what had happened to their father, and Miss Miller checked the girls out to help her move some beds and cots around so the boys would have someplace to sleep.

Naturally the first thing that had happened as soon as school officially let out was a swarm of curious classmates outside the Seville residence, and at a most inopportune time. Miss Miller was helping the boys gather their things and was locking up the house when the worried students arrived at the doorstep. Naturally she managed to hide the boys well enough and pull out her best fib. "They're leaving for their tour soon," she had calmly explained as she shut the door to her car, the trio of rock stars in her backseat. "You can all play with them when they get back. Run on home now. Don't waste a moment of your summer!"

So they had managed to prevent the children of their school from leaking Dave's accident to their parents and through their parents to the press and from the press to the rest of America. They had decided as a group to keep things under wraps for the time-being. Of course that would only last until all the kids realized that the boys were still around town, especially if the trio was going back and forth to the hospital. Zombie-like chipmunks were sure to grab attention.

"Jeanette, Brittany?" Miss Miller whispered. "Could you keep an eye on them while I go do the dishes? They have to be done or we won't have anything to eat breakfast off of tomorrow!"

"Yes Miss Miller," they whispered back. The scent of baking cookies had filled the house as Eleanor used up their last mixing bowl making a batch to try to cheer the boys up. For the first time since she'd known them, however, Theodore hadn't even noticed the food.

"Are they still silent?" Eleanor whispered to Koda.

"Quiet as snow," Koda replied as she tied a knot in the top of the trash bag. She picked it up with both hands, holding it out as far away from her body as she could manage, her wings and ears pressed back in disgust. She hated garbage, but she always did the chores assigned to her. It was the least she could do for Miss Miller and the girls.

Brittany had taken notice of that early on and had easily worked her way into brushing off some of her own chores onto Koda, which was why the young bat-girl was doing this horrid chore. The Sunday before Brittany had concocted some nutty story about having allergies that were going crazy and she couldn't go outside much until a certain flower was past its prime. Koda knew that no such flower existed as the 'Alivian' (which sounded strangely like 'Alvin' when Brittany said it), but she hadn't put up a fuss and she was still doing the chore even though she knew she'd be a better psychiatrist for the boys than Brittany was.

The night was thick and moonless, and all the outside lights were off. Koda stumbled her way to the trashcan, knocking off the lid with a great clatter. Her ears pressed instinctively against her head as it crashed to the ground. "Oh my!" she heard a woman's voice break through the noise, catching the lid mid-clatter. "Are you alright?" Koda flung the trash into the can, assessing this woman in the dim light. Blond, sort of old, and very professional.

"Are you a reporter?"

"No dear! I was just looking for some stars to sponsor. You see, I have a lot of money and I have no one to spend any of it on, seeing as I live alone. My dog was put down recently, and so I am absolutely alone in the world! Then I saw you children on stage at that benefit concert and oh! I had to come see if you would accept my money."

"I'm afraid that's not an option right now. We're not going anywhere until Dave gets back from his business trip."

"Oh, that's too bad. But I'm sure no one wants to get in trouble with the manager. Of course, if you find yourselves short on money, my door is always open." Her old hand stretched out, offering a card to Koda. "You and the boys would make an excellent team."

"And the girls."

"No, I think just you and the boys would be plenty."

"Why not the girls?"

"Well, dear, I just don't think we'd attract the same sorts of crowds with them. Sure, everyone loves them too, but as separate acts. When they're together, it's like a cheap two for one deal, and that doesn't say anything for either of them. Of course, you can go either way since you're so new to their group."

"That's not true."

"Of course it is! You've only done one concert with them…"

"No. They aren't a cheap two-for-one deal. They are amazing and everyone loves them. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't like them. Sure, teens don't really listen to them because a kid group is too un-cool for them in their transitional phase, but that doesn't mean they don't like them." The lady reached out and latched onto one of Koda's ears, causing a quick yelp to escape her.

"I made a deal for you, so you're going to come whether you like it or not. The scientists are coming after you, but so long as you are under my wing they won't touch you. You'll know when the time comes to leave. The boys _will_ come. They owe me several million dollars and I intend to collect. But I'm being _nice_ about it, which is more than they deserve." She clamped down harder as Koda opened her mouth to scream. "And don't you dare say a word of this to any of them, at least not yet, and then don't you ever say _anything_ I don't tell you to say."

"And what can _you_ do to us if I disobey you?"

"Well, let's just say dear Davie's condition could take a turn for the worse, not to forget Miss Miller…and you. Those scientists are brutal, but I don't have to tell you the stories, do I?" Koda scrunched her eyes shut as pain shot through her ear. The woman had her nails dug into the soft skin.

"Koda?" she heard Eleanor calling from the kitchen. "What's taking you so long?"

"Get back to them. And remember: Not a word." She let go, throwing Koda to the ground as she disappeared back into the shadows, letting her card float to the ground for Koda to pick up.

"Koda?" Eleanor walked out, glancing around in the dark night, not seeing as her friend snatched up the cursed piece of paper and hid it in her sock (since she didn't have pockets). "You may be able to spook Brittany, but I'm not so easily scared. Come out right now!" Koda rubbed her ear, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked back towards her friend. "Koda!"

"I'm here," she called quietly. "I just fell is all."

"_You_ fell?"

"It happens." Eleanor followed her voice, helping her to her feet.

"Are you hurt?"

"My ear got scratched on something, but I'll be fine." Eleanor reached up to touch Koda's ears, but the girl merely flattened them back to avoid her friend's touch. Her eyes were focused on the ground, the walls, the house next door, the trashcan…anywhere but on Eleanor. She had to tell them…but she couldn't. Perhaps…perhaps if she kept quiet Dave would get better on his own and nothing bad would happen. That was always a possibility, wasn't it?

* * *

Photo Op: Eleanor and Koda outside.

(And for future reference, I don't think all my 'photo ops' are going to be at the end of the chapter...it just so happened that the first two were.)


End file.
